Doctors Emphasize Value of Post-Cancer Healthcare

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Studies are showing that not all breast cancer survivors are taking the proper post cancer health precautions that doctors recommend.  Of every 100,000 women in the United States, there are currently 815 who are breast cancer survivors.  Health professionals are emphasizing the importance of the check up mammogram, following recovery from breast cancer to ensure that the cancer has not metastasized and is still remaining in remission. 

Dr. Jeanne S. Mandelblatt of the Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington D.C. recently pioneered an extensive study of breast cancer survivors to determine their post cancer health care habits.  For the study, 558 women were asked to keep a diary of their health care for one year following their recovery from cancer.  Of these women, 391 produced the diary, revealing that on average women received healthcare approximately 30 times the year following the breast cancer.  The most costly expenses found in the diary were medical visits, which comprised a large percentage of the average $1,800 spent on health care. 

The type and frequency of care that women received throughout the year was highly dependent on the type of cancer treatment they received, whether other illnesses were present, and the patient’s psychological state. 

While a follow-up mammogram is considered to be one of the most important health precautions to take after recovery from breast cancer, only 62 percent of these women received the highly recommended check-up mammogram.  Women who underwent a mastectomy procedure were less likely to have had the check-up in comparison with women who had a lumpectomy.  Caucasian women were more likely to have had the check-up in comparison with non-Caucasian women.

Dr. Mandelblatt and her colleagues agree that there is “room for improvement in the recommended use of surveillance mammography”, emphasizing that future research on the topic should be geared toward ensuring people obtain proper post breast cancer health care. 


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